Savoring the Caribbean: Nneka Nurse and the Best Dressed Plate Experience

Nneka Nurse, the innovative mind behind Best Dressed Plate, share her inspiring journey as a trailblazer forging a new path for food enthusiasts to revel in the diverse culinary landscape of the Caribbean. 

Throughout our conversation, she shares the origin story of Caribbean Chef and Food platform Best Dressed Plate, it's chic moniker and building a spirited community where island flavors are not just savored, but celebrated. Nneka's brainchild of supper club , Caribbean TraDISHons, as an event series that blends the region's rich cultural history with its reimagined traditional dishes, highlighting the deep-seated link between our ancestors' narratives and our beloved cuisine. 

Caribbean TraDISHons is a melting pot of cultural pride and gastronomic creativity. Nneka intricately crafts each event from the themes to the tablescapes, providing a pedestal for both rising stars and culinary connoisseurs to convey their stories through tantalizing dishes. Discover the artful balance between honoring timeless recipes and embracing bold innovations, as we encounter delectable twists like Breadfruit Ice Cream and Bulla Cheesecake. 

Bring home Bob Marley: One Love on Digital now! Celebrate the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love, peace, and unity.  Buy Bob Marley: One Love on Digital today and get over 50 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and deleted scenes! Available at participating retailers. Rated PG-13. From Paramount Pictures.

Transcript

Mikelah: 0:41

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the Style and Vibes podcast with yours truly Makayla. If you are new here, welcome to the Fumbley. If you are returning, welcome back Fumbley Today. Well, first of informals, I got to rewind because I got invited to this amazing, amazing, amazing event, which brings us to my special guest today, nika Nurse. So Nika is the founder of Bestress Plate. The event that I attended was Caribbean Traditions spelled different, all right, but she is a self-proclaimed foodie. She is a supporter of Caribbean food and elevating Caribbean food experiences. So while I had the pleasure of watching her from afar for a little while now, I had the pleasure to see her in action at one of her many soirees. So, nika M'nab M'nab, mash up your intro. So please introduce yourself to the people and tell us a little bit about you and how you got started.

Nneka Nurse: 1:49

So my name is.

Mikelah: 1:50

Nika.

Nneka Nurse: 1:50

Nurse, I started Bestress Plate 2014, and it really was a thing that I started because I loved food and I had an experience where I went to a restaurant a Jamaican restaurant, I won't say which one and I felt as if they were charging way too much money for food that I can get at a regular mom in the pop store. And I have tasted what I considered like elevated Caribbean food and I'm like to the waiter. I was like hey, like why is it so much Like, why can't we get like more plated food? And I was like, oh, there's no such thing as that type of food. You know, this is what we have and I'm like that can't be right, you know.

Nneka Nurse: 2:36

And it was Memorial Day weekend. I was bored at home at the time. I was no, I was living in Brooklyn, but Brooklyn Memorial Day weekend is always a hot weekend and I was home. I didn't go to any of the parties and I just was like, let me start this. This is in the infancy stages of Instagram. So I was just like, let me look around and see if I could find chefs like Caribbean chefs. And it just morphed into. It really started with me doing stories Like I would find pictures of food and then I would give stories about the dishes and compare them to like how other islands have their own interpretation to food and it really resonated with people, like they all used to come in common like, oh my God, we call like avocado zabacco here and you know, in Jamaica we call it pier. So it was just like it was a nice little community that started building, first amongst foodies and then, when I started with the chefs, it just like morphed into like more and more chefs, like appreciating a platform showing plated Caribbean food.

Mikelah: 3:36

I really loved it, so tell me how you came up with the name best dressed plate.

Nneka Nurse: 3:41

So the name. In Jamaica there's a place called best dressed chicken. I'm going to keep it 100. Would you Okay?

Mikelah: 3:53

I had a family member that was the selling chicken for that company, but that's our own other story.

Nneka Nurse: 4:04

So you see, everybody, I mean, if you're not making, obviously you may not be familiar with best dressed chicken, but it came up. I was like, oh my God, that's so cute. And I was like, you know, even though in the beginning I wasn't sure if it was just going to be Caribbean, I felt like best dressed plate wasn't going to be so stereotypic and you know, like cliche, you know like Caribbean, this or coconut, or you know what I mean. So I figured best dress plate. It says what it says. I love fashion. So I was like this is great. At the time, I think infatuation was in its infancy stage as well, which is another very large food platform, and I was like, oh, that's a cute name, but I'm like that's just played, I like it. I can like divvy gavel and fashion. It was just so many things I was going through my head at the time. But that's how I came up with the name Best dress plate. Shout out to Best Dressed Chicken.

Mikelah: 4:56

I love it. I love it. So the event that I went to was Caribbean traditions. You spell traditions D-I-S-H-O-N-S. How you finish traditions.

Nneka Nurse: 5:08

Yes.

Mikelah: 5:10

How did that come about and did that kind of spin off from best dress plate, and what are the differences between the two?

Nneka Nurse: 5:17

So, yes, like tradition, right, you know the English language. Like I have friends who are like from different countries and they're like, oh my God, english is the hardest language to learn and it really, really and truly is, because when you look at how you spell tradition and how you pronounce it, it's like it doesn't, you know, make sense. But the fact that it has that dish, it sounds like dish, like a dish that you eat. I said this makes so much sense, you know to to bring in the fact that it's traditional. But we're talking about dishes, so that one was really more intentional than best dress plate. It was like, yeah, tradition, and we're in a place right now where people are hungry for learning more about their culture, whether it be Caribbean, whether it be Asian, latina, like people are really digging into history and culture.

Nneka Nurse: 6:06

And I felt like, from a food perspective, you know, you have to kind of know the history of the food in order to really get connected, knowing when you're eating it, for the chefs even to be connected to the food as far as the history of the food.

Nneka Nurse: 6:22

So that's where Caribbean tradition came in and it was really built on that. It was a dinner component of best dressed plate, best dressed plate is just a platform that celebrates, like chefs, food producers, foodies even, and restaurants that are Caribbean. But the tradition is that event space, like you know, having those dinner series that, like the dinner you had attended and actually the first one that I held was at the James Beard House, where I had Caribbean chefs I had Barbados, st Vincent, trinidad. It was an amazing dinner and it was from that dinner that I was like you know what I think. I want to expand upon it, because having those conversations about traditional foods it's like that nostalgic moment and you go back to thinking about, you know, when mommy used to make corn, beef and rice and on Saturdays was the soup day you know, it's like in every different island they had their staples and, being in the US, everything is a melting pot.

Nneka Nurse: 7:20

So now we're able to kind of have that discussion like, oh, you did that.

Mikelah: 7:23

Yeah, we did that too, so yeah, I think that is really exciting because, like you said, a lot of people are into exploring their cultures and I think the gateway for so many cultures is food.

Mikelah: 7:37

And you do that in such a curated way, and not only do you curate the chefs but also the guests. It was the first time I had attended an event where I was sit down and connect with other people like really breaking bread and getting to know new people. So tell me about the curation of the entire experience, because it's extremely detailed.

Nneka Nurse: 8:02

Well, yeah, it is, and that was definitely intentional of me. You know, I am very meticulous when it comes to that, because it's an experience that I want people to leave having like something that they've never experienced before, leaving with a sense of cultural pride and, of course, leaving with a new friend, a new associate, you know, because I felt like the people that I invited in that space they all have that same thread of wanting to be kind of like an ambassador of the Caribbean with good taste. Right, because right now the Caribbean is more so known for music. But there's so many other offerings that we have impacted in business and healthcare and technology and, of course, in food outside of the typical street food, which is why I say, you know, we're taking the food from the streets to the seats, you know, because it's time. It's a universal language.

Nneka Nurse: 9:01

You know, food is food, right, but when it comes to curating the event, as far as the theme and the invited guests, and even just the table setting and the place setting, it all comes from what I grew up, what I remembered, and creating that nostalgic moment for the guests. So, for instance, at the table, the plates, the chargers that I selected were those ornate white chargers which reminded me of growing up and my mom. You know she had that China closet with the micasa China from Macy's and you know the doilies. So that's why it was more white driven, because that's what I remembered growing up. And I really tried to do like these hidden things, without being so blatant when it comes to even the design and the styling of the plate setting, to provide that nostalgic moment for the guests and not be too overly extravagant too, because the real guest is the food.

Mikelah: 10:05

And what I really enjoyed is the chefs coming out and kind of sharing their story. So by design, you have each chef create one particular dish of the night and they come out and share their personal connection. I don't know that that's something that we get to experience even in regular dining experiences. So for me, getting to know the chefs behind the food and the story behind the dish that they're presenting, I think it's so fun and engaging and important. How do you choose the chefs that are kind of come together on any of your events?

Nneka Nurse: 10:47

I like to have emerging chefs as well as established chefs, because I truly believe in the lift as you climb mentality right, and sometimes some of the emerging chefs may not feel that they've arrived or they have enough skill to be in the kitchen with some of these established chefs, as well as an overall their energy. It's a very holistic approach that I take when selecting these chefs ensuring that they have the skill set to do a plated dinner, ensuring that they have the personality, because that means a lot too. That goes a long way. Like you said, the chefs are coming out and they're speaking with the guests. That's very important that you're able to articulate the why behind your dish.

Nneka Nurse: 11:42

I work very closely with the chefs because I essentially come up with the theme and then we work on the dish that they select down to the meats, the seasoning, because all of those things are very important when it comes to talking about it to the guests. So it's really chefs that are open and willing to come into this space that is fairly new and wanting to also help teach the emerging chefs as well. So it's definitely one it starts off with, like the theme. What's the theme am I working with? In January, I'm doing Haiti. We're celebrating 220 years of independence, so that dinner it's something that's really special because it's 220 years. So the chefs that I selected for that it's emerging chefs, chefs that I feel can really represent the culinary side of the island, and then, of course, we have that more seasoned chef that will bring it all together.

Mikelah: 12:48

I love that. And how have the chefs kind of responded to the experience and even some of the attendees?

Nneka Nurse: 12:56

the chefs are just grateful to be able to cook. You know food. You understand what I'm saying Because not all of them you know on their day-to-day basis, their professional career are cooking Caribbean food right. So they're able to come into a space where they can really exercise their culinary experience and bring in that innovative component of you know, their Italian or their French experience and then show how it can be done with Caribbean food. So the chefs are just happy to have a platform to showcase that and the guests, just like yourself, they're amazed at the talent and just seeing food, our food like that, because we know our food is always seen as texture heavy, starch heavy, just overall. Heavy because the food essentially was what we ate before we went out in the field. So it had to be heavy because it had to hold us through the whole day, you know. So being able to see that you can take Rosyama and Salfish and then turn it into, you know, a sous vide like it's like, wow, I never would have thought that we can make that out of.

Nneka Nurse: 14:09

you know Salfish and Yam, so it's just opening the foodies eyes to so many different possibilities with our food.

Mikelah: 14:18

And the palates, because that pulled beef, no, the ravioli, that was it was like between the ravioli and the beef, the short ribs. Taste it right now. I can taste it right now as you continue to do more events. I'm hoping selfishly that the plan is to not grow only because I love the intimacy of it.

Nneka Nurse: 14:48

but the intimacy.

Mikelah: 14:50

I'm sure, the more you become in demand for this particular event, how do you think growth around this event will kind of play out in the future?

Nneka Nurse: 15:05

I definitely don't plan on making it more than what it is. As far as the amount of guests, you know they're like. You know, bring more, bring more. The max that I would do is 50. And that's really honestly. It probably will only happen in the Caribbean because, as you know, we held it in Barbados and it's just a whole. It's just a different vibe in the Caribbean. You know so it's like I can get away with that in the Caribbean you know with a larger group of people.

Nneka Nurse: 15:33

But here I still plan on keeping it intimate. I mean, it's really, it's limited and that's how. That's how supper clubs go. You know, it's not this large setting with like 100 people. It's definitely never going to be that the Caribbean traditions dinner supper club. But yes, absolutely it's going to expand into festivals, you know, in the near future to have that Caribbean food festival, you know, showcasing the wonderful food from the Caribbean, from street food to, you know, food producers, just like the gamut. But there'll be others.

Mikelah: 16:13

Yes, I love it, Keep it, keep it. What are some of? I would say? I'm sure you run into a lot of challenges over the years of running these events and we've been talking about all the good things, but share some of the challenges and opportunities that I have arisen for you throughout this journey.

Nneka Nurse: 16:37

I think the biggest challenge in the reach of Best Dressed Plate. And a couple of weeks ago I had gone to an event that Renee Blewett held called Innovate to Elevate, and she had a fee from Finawell there as one of the guests. And I asked her because she made mention of when she, the name of her brand was never Finawell, it was a different name and she mentioned that you know they were going through a rebranding and she said she wants to name it after herself and she wants the focus to be on Caribbean. And I was just like that's a huge. I mean that's big, you know, because we're considered like a sub category, you know we're not out there like that, right, and for her to come out and be like no, I'm going to stand on this.

Nneka Nurse: 17:27

I asked her how did you stand on that? And she told me she said you know, listen, your tribe, your people will find you. And I mean it ignited something in me because a lot of people like the idea of these dinners and I like it too. But the Caribbean, I will shout on the rooftop it is our time. It is our time, whether it be food, whether it be music, it's our time to now no longer gatekeep and let the world know that we hear, we have influence and we are top, top, top. We're not little but top.

Mikelah: 18:04

We are kind of like the top kids. Hello, you know I'm used to it already.

Nneka Nurse: 18:13

Okay. So I think that has been the biggest challenge for me. Honestly, like everybody is just like you need to broaden it, open it up, and I'm like I almost fell and I'm like, no, I think I'm going to keep it, I'm going to keep it specific to our Caribbean community and I'm just going to write it out. That's just what it is.

Mikelah: 18:36

I love that. That's what it is, I love that, so we're going to get into some fun questions. What is your most surprising dish that you've had to date?

Nneka Nurse: 18:47

Um, so I think Nigeria, they have Fufu, right, the pounded yam. So in like the French Caribbean, they have this thing called Tom Tom. I think in Haiti has it too, where it's breadfruit. Listen, if anyone falls breast-dressed plate, they know me and breadfruit is like Bench Anbatte. I love a breadfruit. Okay, I love Listen. One time this, this chef, chris McKenna. He did a breadfruit ice cream. Here I go and I made a breadfruit cheesecake from he how he did it. And Andre Cooks, he did a. He did a cheesecake with Bula. He great the book girl. You know, normally it's graham crackers at the bottom right. Yes, bula.

Mikelah: 19:32

Listen Nice.

Nneka Nurse: 19:38

It was so good and I put some apple to the rum in there too, just for some.

Mikelah: 19:45

You can speak in my language, listen.

Nneka Nurse: 19:48

So I was like, listen, I remember by my, my mom's friend house, because I used to stay by her in Dwayne Park and she used to make chicken back. So I was like, make some chicken back and breadfruit for me, please listen, that was so good, so, so, so good, that was the best, that was the best dish I ever had, bestest. As much as I like you know, plating, you know not country girl.

Mikelah: 20:17

Yes, yes, yes. Ok, so we're talking a lot about food and elevated experiences. We cook at home every day, including myself. I'm not necessarily elevated the dishes. What are some tips that you can give me and the people about elevating your dishes at home? You said mula and cheesecake. I said wow, I wouldn't have even thought of that combination right there. But please tell the people, Tell me, give me some advice.

Nneka Nurse: 20:50

So I would start with simple things like drinks. Right, you can never go wrong with a drink. So if you have, like you know, the popular staple drinks like your sangrias mojitos, you could do it with sorrow, you could do it with mobby, you know what I mean.

Mikelah: 21:08

Like that's a simple initial step right, I have a nice sorrowful sangria. Yes Yo, we did the pandat early, you know we did the pandat early. We're ready for the holiday, I understand.

Nneka Nurse: 21:23

So you start with the drinks, right, and then you'll push yourself further with your plating, like for me, plating is so important. You know, our generation is like the way that our parents had us like oh my god, I can't take no China. When I get my own places, peer-pupil it because it can't bother. But now it's like hello, we're older, we're refined, let's get with the plates now. So when you get plates like anthropology has beautiful plates the plates can do so much where you don't even have to be all shishipu-fu with the food. You get nice plates. So plating is so important.

Nneka Nurse: 22:01

Your decor as far as plates and decorating your table. Trader Joe's, whole Foods and Target they have flowers. All you gotta do is just go there get some nice little flowers. Go to Amazon, get those bugs. You know Amazon sells the little bugs for like $28. And you can get like a whole box of them. Cut the flowers and there you have it. It's like so it's like you don't have to be super extravagant, it's more just having an intention of what type of look you're looking for and keep it very simple and that's it. Like Home Goods and Home Sense is like your best friend.

Mikelah: 22:40

I love that.

Nneka Nurse: 22:41

It's really good for it, and.

Mikelah: 22:42

I think I do better with that when I'm having like a dinner party, but like even just for myself, like maybe just you know, going the little extra mile is a good thing. So, okay, I'm gonna take that into consideration Okay you're having a house party, a dinner party? What are your top three artists on your playlist?

Nneka Nurse: 23:05

My top three would be Lady Saw. I get it there. I mean, this is what it is. You know, lord Kitchener, because I love, like the mental, the Calypso old time, calypso music and Morgan Heritage.

Mikelah: 23:26

That is a nice mix, but I was surprised at the Lady Saw. I know which Lady Saw you're going to drop off and did a party, but I'm not going to put you on the spot. I can tell you. I can tell you a belly robot, you have burqos and then you're raining back in. Okay, all right, All right. I love it, I love it, I love it. Okay, so last question you're going to a dinner party. What are you wearing?

Nneka Nurse: 23:54

Black.

Mikelah: 23:55

Black. Okay, all right, all right.

Nneka Nurse: 23:59

I'm going to give you a hint of color White shoes or, you know, colored earrings, but it's all black.

Mikelah: 24:05

All right, all right. Well, thank you so much, nika. Thank you for sharing all the information about Caribbean traditions and best dressed plate. Share what you can about what you have coming up. I know you kind of hinted at a few things that are kind of in the works, but what can you share with the listeners and what can they look out for?

Nneka Nurse: 24:26

You can look out for more dinners, Obviously. January we did the Haiti dinner celebrating 220 years of Haiti's being the first Republic. February is reggae history month, so we're doing a theme dinner for reggae history month. So Chateau's and Dancehall Queen is 20, 25 and 27 years old, so it's kind of that's the theme.

Mikelah: 24:59

Like it's like. It's like I love me and I'm the mystery lady, my sea of this. Really, you know that's my favorite movie, so, yeah, I can watch that, listen, listen.

Nneka Nurse: 25:16

Oh my God, yeah, that, that movie. Listen, that February is special for me because I came from the entertainment side, you know, dealing with dance hall and all of that stuff. So this is kind of me like going back to that space. You know it was fun. You know what I mean. So that one is going to be nice. I'm excited for that one. Honestly, I'm really really excited for that one.

Mikelah: 25:40

So for for those who are in the area, I think you do, these are invite only specific events. How do you ever open it up to the public, or what is that process like for you?

Nneka Nurse: 25:56

I'm considering opening, opening up to the public in February for the Reggae History Month. It's still up in the air. By the summer it definitely will be more open and, like we did, barbados will be going to Jamaica in the in the spring and then coming back here. You know, caribbean Heritage Month. We have a lot of activations that's going to happen during that month, obviously, and August will be a year since we rebirthed it. So that's going to be another really, really nice event and that will definitely be open to the public, for sure, and we're going to have a nice friendly competition. Best of the best. Yeah, I'm sorry. So we're going to have the team team Jamaica. We're going to have some chefs coming from Jamaica, chefs coming from Grenada, guyana, trinidad, competing against chefs over here. You know the best curry, the best jerk, the best rice, rice and peas, you know.

Mikelah: 26:59

So all of these things, keep it, keep it, all the doors going, all right, friendly food.

Nneka Nurse: 27:09

Well, thank you so much.

Mikelah: 27:10

I truly appreciate you coming on and just sharing your journey with us. We'll definitely be on the lookout, so where can the people find you?

Nneka Nurse: 27:20

Best dressed plate on Instagram and Caribbean tradition. Spelled D I S H O N on Instagram and our website will be launching soon which is best dressed platecom, Okay.

Mikelah: 27:32

All right. Thank you so much, Nika.

Nneka Nurse: 27:34

Thank you.

Mikelah: 27:35

And until next time, lea, tummy Peeps.